Town police are investigating the deaths of a Danville couple in a suspected murder-suicide in the Crow Canyon Country Club community Monday morning, according to department officials.
The preliminary investigation indicates 77-year-old Edward Perry shot and killed his wife, Patricia "Pat" Perry, and then killed himself, Danville police chief Steve Simpkins said during a press conference early Monday evening.
Pat Perry, 67, was a retired San Ramon city employee and served as the city's first-ever poet laureate.
"Patricia Perry's willingness to provide exemplary, prompt and efficient assistance to internal and external customers earned her the title 'GOA' -- Goddess of All. She will be missed greatly by those she touched in the city family," San Ramon assistant city manager Eric Figueroa said in a statement.
The San Ramon city flag will be flown at half-staff on Tuesday in remembrance of Pat Perry, according to Figueroa.
The incident inside the Perrys' home in the 700 block of Glen Eagle Court was discovered soon after Danville police arrived at the residence within the Crow Canyon Country Club gates around 7:45 a.m. Monday, according to Simpkins.
Emergency dispatch had received a 9-1-1 hangup call several minutes earlier, he said.
After arriving on scene, officers heard what sounded like a gunshot, and after deeming it safe to enter, they made their way into the home, Simpkins said.
Once inside, officers found Edward Perry dead in the front doorway from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Simpkins.
Police carried on their search of the home and discovered Pat Perry deceased in the kitchen, having sustained two gunshots, the police chief said. No other people were found in the home and there were no signs forced entry, Simpkins added.
Detectives are continuing to investigate the case but have not yet found a potential cause for the apparent murder-suicide, according to Simpkins.
"It was obvious to us when we did our investigation that it was a murder and then a suicide, but we don't know what the factors leading up to that are," the police chief said.
Danville police had responded to a domestic disturbance call at the residence in 2011, but no arrests were made, Simpkins said, noting that investigators will review that case.
Pat Perry's death has been deemed the town's first murder since 2009, according to Simpkins.
"This is certainly a tragedy. It's not something we often respond to. And our hearts go out to all the involved families and the city employees of our neighbors to the south," Simpkins added,
Pat Perry worked for more than two decades as a San Ramon city employee, according to Figueroa.
She started in 1989 as city clerk/redevelopment secretary and over her career was promoted various times, ending her career as a division manager in 2010. In retirement, Pat Perry continued to support San Ramon as a special project consultant for four years for the city manager and executive team.
She also held the distinction of being named San Ramon's first poet laureate in 2006, serving in that position for three years. She contributed more than 40 poems for civic events such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Sept. 11, Figueroa noted.
It was not immediately clear what Edward Perry's profession was, according to Simpkins.
Comments
San Ramon
on Jul 6, 2015 at 4:53 pm
on Jul 6, 2015 at 4:53 pm
Pat, you will be sorely missed by many.
Registered user
San Ramon
on Jul 7, 2015 at 1:22 am
Registered user
on Jul 7, 2015 at 1:22 am
How sad.
Pat Perry created San Ramon's Poet Laureate position and filled it for the first two terms.
Here's a link to an article Delores Fox Ciardelli wrote in October, 2009 that reprints two of Pat Perry's poems Web Link
As Longtime Resident said above, Pat Perry will be sorely missed!
San Ramon
on Jul 7, 2015 at 8:41 am
on Jul 7, 2015 at 8:41 am
My heart goes out to Pat's family and friends. She was a mentor and facilitator for so many of us involved with the early years of the City of San Ramon. She could always be counted on to help with an event or project over and above her duties at City Hall. We will miss her.
San Ramon
on Jul 7, 2015 at 10:02 am
on Jul 7, 2015 at 10:02 am
The Tri-Valley art community has lost both a supporter and an artist. Pat’s love of poetry and her willingness to contribute set the standard for San Ramon’s Poet Laureates that have followed her.
The San Ramon Arts Foundation is especially saddened by the loss, and the Board and members of the Foundation express send their thoughts and prayers to Pat’s family and friends. We will continue to celebrate her life that she expressed so well in her art.
San Ramon
on Jul 7, 2015 at 4:03 pm
on Jul 7, 2015 at 4:03 pm
It is such a tragedy to lose close friends I knew them very well. Ed was a manager of Toyota in San Ramon he worked for Toyota for 30 years. Pat worked for Toyota, when they moved to San Ramon she went to work for the City. my friends you will be missed...........
San Ramon
on Jul 15, 2015 at 8:11 pm
on Jul 15, 2015 at 8:11 pm
This is yet again a sad commentary about the danger of guns in homes. Yes the gun nuts will be screaming that guns had nothing to do it, that he would have harmed her in other ways, etc. etc. We all know the rhetoric.
BUT I hope that some woman who reads this will understand that the ugly truth about guns, in that if there is one in the house supposedly for "protection" the overwhelming evidence from FBI and DOJ data that she is something like 11x more likely that the gun will be used on her than for those fictional bad people crawling in the windows at night. This is especially true if there is alcohol abuse and/or spousal abuse going on. [removed because it could not be verified]
(removed).
San Ramon
on Jul 28, 2015 at 5:42 pm
on Jul 28, 2015 at 5:42 pm
Dano50, as a friend of Pat's for many years, this is absolutely the wrong venue for your diatribe.